Whitmore joins Women for Election discussion

Cllr Jennifer Whitmore who took part in a Women for Election panel discussion event last Wednesday, reviewing the year in politics.

The event took place in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin and Jennifer was joined on the panel by Deputies Mary Lou McDonald and Niamh Smyth. The panel was chaired by businesswoman Norah Casey.

Women for Election founder and Board member Niamh Gallagher said 2018 will be a crucial year for resetting the gender balance in Irish politics. She urged women to use the year in which we will mark 100 years of female suffrage, to get ready to run in the 2019 local and European elections.

A cross-party panel of female politicians to review the political events of the year.

‘A number of important issues affecting women have been to the fore in Irish politics this year,’ said Ms Gallagher. ‘The issue of gender in politics itself has also been the subject of much debate, with our crowd-funding campaign during the summer proving the appetite for women in politics by far exceeding its target and raising almost €60,000. Tonight is an opportunity to hear from women at the heart of Irish politics about these and other topics and events.

‘We have come a long way in the 100 years since women in Ireland gained the right to vote but still women account for just 22 per cent of TDs and only 19 women have ever been appointed to Cabinet.